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Advice?


Imoutgoodbye

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Well, got a small question for everyone.

Today in my Education class, our instructor was stressing the importance of deleting social accounts. I've gotten rid of my My Space account as it was something I made nearly eight or nine years ago and was a reflection of who and where I was at that time. It didn't reflect well on me or how I've grown as a person.

Now, I don't want to get rid of my Face Book account as I have the privacy settings on that as high as they go. Only the people I have friended can see it. However, some of the people I know from high school are on there and, well, I have an odd collection of friends to say the least. However, I've seen many news stories of teachers getting into trouble with Face Book. Even when it's someone who knows a friend of a parent of a student and sees something the teacher posted from someone else's screen or hears about it or...well, you get the idea.

Should I get rid of my current account and start over? Or just delete the account and forget about it?

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There is nothing you can do to stop someone who wants your information if you use a computer. Just doesn't matter what you do if you use a computer that is connected to the internet you have about a 90% chance of getting a virus. Chances are you won't even realize it is a virus either. It is going to be some IE add on. Or some hacked web page, or some chinese supergroup testing an IP block for weaknesses that they can exploit. Facebook just makes it easy for stupid people to get tricked. Thats AAALLLLLL it is. You would benefit MUCH more by being smart about what you do, and what you use your PC for. I have never suffered from electronic ID theft myself, or any problems from FB or Myspace etc etc because I dont house personal information on them.

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Use Linux. Don't use Facebook for 'games', and don't post any information on Facebook you wouldn't normally tell some stranger on the street (as far as personal info, that is).

Hating someone, disliking a procedure, or what have you is perfectly fine. Just make sure you have privacy at the highest setting, and don't accept random friend requests unless you're entirely sure of who's sending the request.

All the advice I can give..

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There are two ways you can handle the situation of social networking sites as a teacher.

Avoidance

Pros: By avoiding the situation, you eliminate the risk of it turning sour. By setting your profile to the highest privacy settings, or deleting it entirely, you fairly effectively stop the possibility that you will run into problems where people take issue with your activities on these sites.

Cons: Frankly, some employers still take into account the fact that they cannot find or access your Facebook page when hiring you. There is a rise in companies that hire HR personnel for the sole purpose of checking you out on these social networks, and if they can't find you, it still tells them something (ie, you have something to hide, you are antisocial, etc.). In a world where people never have to see your face to make judgments about you, just avoiding the situation, while a viable solution, isn't necessarily a perfect one.

Caution

Pros: By utilizing these sites judiciously, and not posting anything obscene (lewd or otherwise), you can maintain your dignity and avoid having unnecessary complications with an employer - as well as with friends and family. Don't use silly applications, don't enter information that you wouldn't tell a complete stranger (SSN, Passwords, etc.), and don't put anything on Facebook that you wouldn't want your mother to see (this cliche assumes, of course, that you have the average nuclear mother family, and that your mother is going to be the most easily offended person you know when it comes to your activities).

Cons: If one of your relationships (friend or otherwise) blows up in your face, it is entirely too easy for them to wreck your Facebook - and unfortunately, in the digital age, damage control has a much higher difficulty:efficiency ratio. All it takes is someone having the wrong picture of you on Facebook for five minutes before you can remove it, and for the wrong person to see it, and your screwed - even if you're not necessarily fired, you have lost something, be it respect/dignity or what-have-you.

The end result is that, as with most things, protection is not as effective as abstinence. However, if you utilize multiple forms of protection (care with what you post, firewalls/anti-virus to prevent intentional misuse, avoiding conflict, etc.) then you are going to be better off for it. When push comes to shove, however, no one here understands your relationships better than you - and as a result, no one can predict the impact those relationships, portrayed on a social networking site, will have on your credibility as an employee. If you are looking for more ideas on the topic, I suggest checking out some of these links:

http://career-advice.monster.com/in-the-office/workplace-issues/should-you-be-on-facebook-hot-jobs/article.aspx

http://career-advice.monster.com/job-search/professional-networking/tips-for-social-networking-online/article.aspx

http://career-advice.monster.com/in-the-office/workplace-issues/mixing-online-social-networking-with-work-hot-jobs/article.aspx

Best of luck!

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Facebook is becoming more and more of a problem. Facebook can be used as evidence in legal forums now. Your profile picture can legally be used as ID as it is time stamped. All you people that connect your smartphones to Facebook, guess what? Facebook now has your cell phone number too. Remember, on Facebook YOU are the product they are selling.

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Well, that settles it. Facebook goes bye bye. Probably in the next few weeks.

Got in my first observation hours today. The secretary thought I was the substitute they had called for. The principal forgot to tell ANYONE I was coming, so, it was a pretty screwy day. However, I am 100% convinced that how you dress is 100% how far you're going to get in this world.

Hell yeah to Van Heusen ties and shirts. Hell yeah to J. Ferrar suits. :cool:

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How you are dressed opens doors.

unless you're a consultant with 7 million in savings on the table.

then you can go in shorts and a t-shirt.

I find dress and attire in the workplace hilarious. I tend to work with folks who are VP or even EVP's, it seems the higher up you go the less attire even matters.

Yet, in the dredges of cubicle farms, its very important.

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Well, my aunt is the director for every Metrotech campus in OKC. She has 2 facebook pages, one she uses only for her career, and one for her family. I have an alternative uncle and a couple of aunts with wives. While these things would not bother the world today, 20 years ago such information would have kept her from ever becoming Principal. Since she is of the older generation, it is inherant in her thinking that she should still keep such matters to herself and her closest friends. Rather than have someone jump to conclusions about her personal life, she continues to keep her professional life completely seperate. Her husband, the Sheriff, does the same thing. This way they will never be judged in a professional setting for their personal friends, status, or favorite games. You may consider this for yourself. But I must warn you, I think having two face book pages is by definition two faced. ;)

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Facebook is becoming more and more of a problem. Facebook can be used as evidence in legal forums now. Your profile picture can legally be used as ID as it is time stamped. All you people that connect your smartphones to Facebook' date=' guess what? Facebook now has your cell phone number too. Remember, on Facebook YOU are the product they are selling.[/quote']

I was reading in Time Magazine that Facebook has a bigger database for user's personal information than the FBI has. You'd also be happy to know that the Director of the FBI has near full access to it when he needs it... Heheh.

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unless you're a consultant with 7 million in savings on the table.

then you can go in shorts and a t-shirt.

I find dress and attire in the workplace hilarious. I tend to work with folks who are VP or even EVP's, it seems the higher up you go the less attire even matters.

Yet, in the dredges of cubicle farms, its very important.

Listen to him, he speaks the truth.

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Personally Valek, I would just not allow any of my students to be my friends on facebook. Just as a personal rule to exclude business from personal life. The problem is, is that as our world becomes more and more technologically integrated, it won't be stuff on just your facebook page, but someone else's because they took a picture or video. At some point, we are going to have to draw the line and say that as long as what that person does in the their professional life vs. personal life (excluding certain circumstances) should be mutually exclusive. Basically unless your teacher is dealing crack or pimping out some seniors everything is going to be just fine.

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